Asked what will determine if Wallace will start, Tomlin replied: "situations."

"Mike was frustrated and rightfully so," Tomlin said. "He is not producing in the manner in which he'd like to and which he'd like him to. It's the function of a lot of things."

Tomlin's heavy-handed motivational ploy likely is designed to have Wallace think about the big picture rather than his own situation. Wallace is averaging only 52 yards per game this year, down from over 75 yards per game the past two years. He's gone from one of the best big-play threats in the NFL to a guy who averages 12.2 yards per catch. That's possession receiver territory.